The King's Weapon
by logophilia
Summary: What if Morgarath wins the battle against Araluen and becomes the new king? And when he makes plans to kidnap Halt—plans which succeed—it's going to take everything Will's got to set the Ranger free.


Hello. So, a little over a week ago, I began reading Ranger's Apprentice, and am now a newly converted fan. :D And while I should have been sleeping last night (this morning, actually) I thought, what if Morgarath won the war and became the king of Araluen? And now, I have this (extremely short) prologue to offer you, to see if anyone's interested. I've got a few vague ideas for this story worked out, but if anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

EDIT 10-10-11: Okay. I've finally got a (shabby) plot (if you can call it that)! I'm gonna be writing this story very differently from what I first planned, so I've changed the title (for newcomers, it was previously called _King's Apprentice_) and summary accordingly. I also rewrote this prologue, because I needed to add a few things in to make the rest of the story work. And everyone, King Duncan died somewhere in the war against Morgarath, alright? Got it? Remember that, because you'll probably be somewhat confused in the next chapter if you don't.

Wow, sorry for the length of this author's note. O_O I'll try to make the others as short as possible, because I know how bloody annoying reading these things are.

Another thing about this story: occasionally, there'll be parts of a chapter told from Halt's or Morgarath's or whoever's POV. Mainly, it'll be following Will as he tries to rescue Halt and… does something else. I don't want to give too much of the story away. xD

_Summary: What if Morgarath wins the battle against Araluen and becomes the new king? And when he makes plans to kidnap Halt—plans which succeed—it's going to take everything Will's got to set the Ranger free._

_Warning: Spoilers for book one (obviously), two, and kind of for five, six, eight and nine. I think. The ones with the Genovesans and the one with Malcolm, basically._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice._

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><p><strong>PART ONE: FINDING HALT<strong>

PROLOGUE

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><p>The new king of Araluen surveys the scenery before him. Fields of grass so green they look painted. A perfect blue sky with gentle, fluffy clouds. Large forests covering larger mountains. Pristine creeks merging into one river. And, most importantly, the people. Knights, archers, servants, farmers, craft masters, children, townsfolk—all his. All there to do his bidding.<p>

A slightly wild smile morphs Morgarath's usually quite ordinary features. _Finally,_ he thinks. After sixteen long years in exile, his plans have at last prevailed. With that in mind, he heads back into the throne room.

To call the room 'extravagant' would be an understatement. Lush, patterned carpet cushions the floor. Although the walls are constructed from a simple-looking stone, they're draped with rich, red cloths adorned with gold tassels and trims. On top of a dais is a beautiful marble throne. The only aspects of the room that subtract from the royal atmosphere are eight prisoners—most of whom are unconscious—lying bound and handcuffed on the floor. A further ten people stand at the entrance of the room. After taking his place at the throne, Morgarath beckons them over.

"You may be wondering why I have called you here today," he says smoothly. "And you may be wondering why there is such filth in my room." He gestures towards the people lying haphazardly on the floor.

When nobody speaks, he continues. "I have a mission for all of you. You all know who the Rangers are, I assume?"

Everyone mumbles their assent, except for two purple-cloaked men.

"Ciprani! Marcelo!" barks Morgarath. "Do you know who the Rangers are?"

"No," the taller of the two says shortly. As an afterthought, he adds sardonically, "_My lord._"

Morgarath narrows his eyes. _These Genovesans are necessary, _he reminds himself, e_ven if they are infuriating to deal with. _"Large green and grey cloaks. They carry longbows and knives. Surely you've seen them."

The duo nods curtly. The king smirks. "I want you all the find the Rangers," he says softly, trailing his gaze onto each of his followers. "And I want you to kill them. Understood?"

All of his men agree, with varying levels of enthusiasm. While some look excited, others seem to be extremely apprehensive.

Satisfied, Morgarath faces the Genovesans. "I have a special task for you two. You will focus on kidnapping the Ranger Halt. Now that Duncan's dead, I need to get Halt out of the way, too_. _But _I _must be the one to kill him. Bring him back to me, alive." Addressing the room at large again, he commands, "None of you will kill Halt. Keep an eye out for the pest, but concentrating on eliminating the others."

"Yes, my lord," the assassins chant.

"Good," says Morgarath. "Now, it's time for a bit of fun. It's time for all of you—except the Genovesans—to undergo a test of sorts. To prove you are capable of this job, you all must kill one of them." He jerks his thumb towards the eight figures splayed out on the floor.

"NO!"

Eleven surprised heads swivel towards the source of the noise. It's one of the prisoners—a terrified man who looks no older than eighteen. "No, no, please, no," he begs. "Don't-don't kill me."

Morgarath allows himself a cruel laugh, unimpressed. "And why should I do that, _boy_?"

The young man blanches, licking his lips nervously. "I-I know where Halt is."

"Indeed?" Morgarath arches an eyebrow, genuinely interested.

"I overheard him and his group talking after you won the battle, my lord. He's heading for Dellholme—well, he was. Probably already there now."

Morgarath studies the man for a moment. _He looks nervous enough, _he notes. _But not like he's lying._ "Untie him," he orders, before turning to the Genovesans.

"Well, you heard the man," Morgarath drawls. "You know where Halt is now. Get going. Oh, and one more thing," he adds nonchalantly. "Halt will probably have a little posse with him. _Try _to keep them alive and bring them back here. I want them to be watching when I kill him."

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><p>Kay. There it is. I <em>should<em> be updating within a few days (but it's me_,_ so don't expect me to keep my word) because I actually have the next chapter written out already, but I want to proofread it a few more times and maybe add more in. And I also want to begin chapter two first.

By the way, throughout this story, feel free to point out any errors in my writing—be they typos, spelling mistakes, tense issues or whatever—I won't get offended, and I'll try to fix them ASAP. Also, if there's something wrong with the plot, or anything that doesn't make sense, tell me!

Please review. :) Any constructive criticism would be adored.


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